Trump and Putin will meet Aug. 15 in Alaska
Russia has proposed a plan to the U.S. that would require Ukraine to make territorial concessions, WSJ sources say
Donald Trump's talks with Vladimir Putin will take place on Friday, August 15, in the state of Alaska, the US president said. As reported by Bloomberg and NYT sources, Trump wanted to first meet with Putin and then hold talks for three with the participation of Vladimir Zelensky. But Trump himself later said that he did not put such conditions to the Russian side.
Details
"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, the President of the United States of America, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place next Friday, August 15, in the great state of Alaska. Details will follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, the President of the United States of America, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place next Friday, August 15, in the great state of Alaska. Details will follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Kremlin confirmed that an agreement has been reached to hold talks on August 15 in Alaska. They will be devoted to "discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," the Russian side claims.
What presidents can talk about
Putin this week offered U.S. special envoy Steve Whitkoff an option for a cease-fire in Ukraine that involves territorial concessions from Kiev, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing European and Ukrainian officials. The names of the newspaper's interlocutors were not disclosed. According to the WSJ, Putin told Whitkoff that he would agree to a full cease-fire if Russia gained full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in addition to Crimea.
Bloomberg's sources said that Moscow and Washington were discussing a deal that would cement Russian control over territory occupied as part of the fighting.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told the WSJ that Trump and his national security team are discussing "possible paths to peace" with Ukrainian and European counterparts following Whitkoff's meeting with Putin. "Out of respect for our delicate diplomatic negotiations with Russia, Ukraine and our European allies, the White House will not comment on the details alleged in the media," Leavitt said.
Earlier on Friday, Trump said he believes the sides are getting closer to a peace agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said in the past that Kiev would not agree to any territorial concessions to Russia. Mediating a peace deal would be a major political victory for Trump, according to Bloomberg. But Zelensky and his European allies fear that Putin could convince the U.S. president to make too many concessions to achieve peace, the agency added.
Context
A face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin will be the first since 2019. Trump's intention to meet soon with Putin was first reported on August 6 - after talks with Whitkoff in Moscow. At the same time, The New York Times sources claimed that Trump planned to talk first with Putin and then arrange a three-person meeting with Zelensky. The Kremlin said that in talks with Whitkoff "he left this option completely, completely without comment."
Trump himself stated on Aug. 7 that Putin's talks with Zelensky were not a condition for his meeting with Putin.
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
